Demoror
by Evene
Summary: Hiatus'd? Possibly discontinued? Mm. Pending status. [AU, SasuNaruSasu, shounenai if you squint]
1. of Uncalled for Knives and the New Kid

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Not that you care, but, it's nice for you to be aware of.

_Hello_, all! I'm glad that you've stumbled upon this fanfiction. It's something I've working on, lazily, bit by bit.

In this story, the **main characters are seniors highschool**, with some a year above or below and some as teachers. This is an **AU**, **alternate universe**, fanfiction, so things will not be the same as in the actual Naruto-verse. I've tried to incorporate some things into this story, as you will see, but not all—so it won't be going exactly by the anime or manga. _Demoror_ means _linger_ in Latin—or, it should, as my source isn't exactly reliable.

This story **_will contain a small amount of shounen-ai_**, so if you don't like that, then don't read! There will be **cussing**, **violence**, and **bloody scenes** in the future. Yes, some **angst** looms ahead in upcoming chapters.

_**YOU HAVE BEEN FOREWARNED.**_

- - - - -

**DEMOROR**

_Prologue — of Uncalled-for Knives and the New Kid_

- - - - -

Sasuke had missed the first day of school. He had reasons, too. One of them being the fact that his brother, Itachi, had come home... and the other being that Itachi had decided to chuck _knives_ at him, right as Sasuke was emerging from his shower (towel in place, of course). Two out of five hit him. One on the palm of his left hand (he had lifted it up to protect his face) and one got him on the upper arm.

Well, it wouldn't have been so bad... if the knives hadn't been goddamned _butcher knives_. Why did they have so many butcher knives? Was it legal to have five of them in a single house? Sasuke thought that it shouldn't be... Itachi, because Itachi always has an excuse ready, told him it was to help him 'brush up on his reflexes.' The only reason Sasuke actually needed reflexes was _because_ of Itachi in the first place! He sometimes thought about calling social services, and seeing if they'd arrest his idiot of an older brother.

No... Itachi was the only person he had left. Even if he wasn't deserving of the whole brotherly/sibling affection thing. He was still... family.

_Family... yeah, right._

Anyway, now he was walking to school. He didn't really like school. It was so stupid, the whole concept... No, not of school (which was also stupid). The whole concept of _identification_. The school didn't require uniforms, which Sasuke supposed they really should all be thankful for, but instead, using _identification methods_? This wasn't much better. Stupid little navy blue bands with the silver leaf that was the symbol of Konoha... And it wasn't just Konoha. The whole country! Fire, sand, sound, water, leaf, all and the rest of them.

It had something to do with that fact that a long time ago, the states (if you want to call them that) of the country were at war. It was a huge war, and they used similar bands to tell who was on what side. Traditions died hard in those 'states', and so, even to this day, the school students had to wear the band. Even if you go on to college. The only way to get rid of it was when you left any kind of school or school system completely (for even teachers had to wear them—Sasuke vowed never to become a teacher). The school officials were always saying that the bands had something to do with remembering their past, showing patriotism, and school spirit... A load of crap, basically.

Sasuke sighed, forlornly. He estimated that he only had one day without wearing the stupid thing at school. He had used his other to bind up his hand (it was the first thing to grab, lying on the floor of his room, stomped on and forgotten). For his arm he had gotten a normal bandage, and that's what now adorned his hand, too.

When the school came into sight, he slowed his pace. Other students were now in view, all walking in the same direction. Some walked with a group of friends, chattering loudly and obnoxiously; others walked alone, hands shoved in their pockets, looking at the sidewalk without any real interest.

The school seemed to loom ahead, like a daily, daytime prison that you had to go to five days a week out of seven—except on holidays and teacher work days—and it's brick body was of many shades of brown and rusty red. The school's lawn was in full swing with bright green grass that almost seemed neon. Students milled about lazily, dreading when the bell rang and they would be forced to enter the glass doors to their doom.

Maybe that was a bit on the dramatic side... but it was close enough to the truth. At least no one had come up to him and started to—

"SASUKE!"

—screw that thought.

"Sasuke! Hi, Sasuke. How are you?" Sakura.

Don't get him wrong, he liked the girl as a _friend_, but sometimes she was just a tad bit on the annoying side. He wasn't sure if he didn't have the heart to tell her, or if he just didn't want to hear her go on and on about how she would try to fix this 'problem' that bothered him. He personally wasn't fond of either option, so, he chose to simply keep his mouth shut.

"Sakura," he grunted. "Fine."

"That's good, I was worried since you weren't at school yesterday, it being the first day and all... Hey. Where's your band?"

"Lost it." Sasuke was a pretty good liar, he needed the skill, but sometimes the lies came out before he even realized it. Oh, well, too late now.

"You lost it," she repeated, raising a brow. "You'll have to pay for another one."

"So then after this I'll have spent nearly a hundred dollars on those stupid things, since elementary school."

"You've lost that many? They're, like, five bucks a piece!"

"I know," Sasuke frowned. "I guess I have the talent of losing things."

"I guess so... Sasuke! Your hand... what happened to your hand?" Now Sakura's smooth face adopted a worried expression. He looked her over quickly before answering, pretending to think. Today she was wearing her old, pink hoodie and an apparently new pair of blue jeans, complete with black flip-flops. Her own band was in her unusual pink hair, as it always was, acting as a rather useless headband. Her green eyes gazed at him inquiringly.

He looked at his bandaged hand. He thought of his bandaged upper arm.

"Oh, that..." He said, trailing off, as if trying to remember. He let his left hand fall to his side, like he had suddenly recalled what had happened. "Right. That. Had a bad day; knife slipped. Got another one on my arm... walked too close to a metal edge."

"Really, all in the same day? They're not infected, are they?" Sakura was looking to go into the nursing field. This was a very typical reaction. Sasuke thought that being a nurse would suit Sakura extremely well. She was always fussing over you, even if you had merely tripped.

"Yes, and no," a truth and a lie. He did acquire both injuries on the same day, but were they infected? He didn't know, but he doubted it. He had cleaned the cuts. But, knowing Itachi, he might have put poison on the knives' sharp edges... That was a thought to look into...

"That's good! Oh, I forgot to ask you, who's your first teacher?"

They were now at the school's glass doors—no, now they were inside—and walking down the hall. Sasuke turned, heading toward the main office. Sakura followed along beside him, watching their fellow students chatter in the halls noisily. Five minutes until the bell rang...

"Iruka," he told her. He'd only glanced at the piece of paper showing their new teachers, and the only thing that interested him was that he didn't recognize his first teacher's name. Sasuke had figured that the person this unfamiliar name belonged to was new. He couldn't even remember who his other teachers were, but he had his schedule in his backpack somewhere. "Yours?"

Sakura beamed at his effort to converse, "That's great! So you start out the day with the same class as both Hinata and I! Oh, and there's someone else who we've (Hinata and I, I mean) made friends with, and he lives—"

"I have to go in here," Sasuke said as they came up to the school's main office. "To order a new band."

"But there's only a few minutes left, Sasuke, you'll be late... Do you want me to wait for you?"

"No, besides, I'll get a pass. Go on, or else you'll be late too."

"Oh... okay, then. I'll see you in class, Sasuke."

He gave her a short nod, then opened the door to the office. He walked up to the front desk, and looked evenly at the woman sitting there, saying bluntly, "I need a new identification band."

The woman, well acquainted with Sasuke Uchiha, sighed. "This is your ninth missing band since you've started highschool. I don't even want to know how many you lost during junior high and elementary school."

"I lost them less often then," he offered. He was well acquainted with the woman.

"Well, here's the form, fill it out. We've already got to send others. Some other students lost theirs, and then we've got the new students."

"I hate these."

"They're necessary."

Sasuke frowned, glaring at the form he was filling out with a pen that had been lying on the desk.

"There's no point in it."

"Possibly, though they do show how many new bands we need," the woman said, simply. Sasuke tried to remember her name... it was on the tip of his tongue. He'd probably remember it when he was just falling into sleep at night; exactly like his luck. He finished filling out the form (standard things; name, age, grade, things that had nothing to do with identification bands) and shoved it along with the pen across the desk at the woman.

"I'll need a pass," he told her.

"All you have to do is ask, Uchiha," she said, already filling out a small rectangular slip and handing it to the dark-haired teen. "I suppose I'll be seeing you again soon enough."

"Maybe," Sasuke said, without mentioning any thanks. The woman, however, was quite used to this, and shook her head slightly, then answered the phone as it began to ring, taking her eyes off of the boy exiting the office, bookbag slung over one shoulder carelessly.

"Hello, this is Konoha High! How may I help you? You would like to speak to the principal? Well, he's not here at the moment, but will be returning shortly. May I take a message, or would you like to call back? Of course I can take down a number! Alright, let me get a pen and paper... okay, now—"

She used the back of Sasuke's form.

- - - - -

Sasuke entered the class room just as school announcements were ending. Not that he ever actually listened to the voice over the intercom, so it wasn't as if he had missed much. He walked over to the teacher; he _was_ a new one. Sasuke didn't know anything about him. He gave him—Iruka—the slip of paper the woman had written on, and the brown-haired man nodded.

"Okay... Uchiha, is it? Well, you sit over there, in the back by the window." Sasuke nodded and walked back to the desk, sat down, and listened as the teacher began the day's lesson.

Iruka had his brown hair pulled back, and a scar across his face. Despite that evident sign of some hardship in his life, his face was kindly. Sasuke had already drowned the man out unintentionally by the time Iruka started saying what they would be doing today. Since yesterday they had really only just discussed what would be going on this year, today they would be telling everyone about each other. After Iruka told everyone a little bit about himself, he put the class into pairs saying, "Tell each other anything about yourself that comes to the top of your mind, and then when time's up, you'll tell the class about your partner. Go."

Of course, Sasuke failed to hear any of this. Naturally, he jumped when somebody poked him on the arm, hard, and said in an enthusiastic voice "Hey. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and you're Sasuke Uchiha, aren't you?"

"Wha—?" A swift glace around the classroom, and Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm Sasuke, you're Naruto."

"You're the one Sakura and Hinata were talking about, aren't you?" The teen Sasuke supposed was his partner had blonde hair and blue eyes. And sat at the desk next to his. Oh, yeah! Alphabetical order...

This fellow student had the strangest scars on his cheeks; like three, thin whiskers on either side. He wore a black shirt, with an orange coat, and khaki pants, and he was smiling.

"Most likely. How do you know...?"

"Them? Yesterday, you weren't here, we ate lunch together by that old tree outside."

"Oh, really?"

"Mmhm, and Sakura said that we could probably all be friends—all four of us, I mean. Anyway. Erm... I'm Naruto. I live with him, yeah, the teacher. He's like my parental guardian. Something like that. We just moved here. Oh, and I love ramen, all the flavors, too. My favorite color is orange, and... um... that's all."

"Right. I'm Sasuke, I live with my brother. I like blue, and I've lived here all my life. I hate ramen."

"How can you hate ramen?" Naruto demanded, "It's the best food out there!"

"What, do you eat it every day or something?"

"Well, not _every_ day, but close enough to it!"

Sasuke eyed the blonde-haired teenager. "That's a lot of noodles."

"Yeah, but I like the noodles," replied Naruto, in an off-handed manner. "But sometimes they don't exactly stay with the chopsticks."

"Fascinating," drawled Sasuke.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.

"Maybe."

"You know what I think?" Naruto put one of his arms on his desk, and propped his head up with it. "I think that you're an asshole."

"It thinks... amazing."

Naruto rolled his eyes, huffing. "Of course I can think, asshole."

"Couldn't tell by looking at you, idiot."

"Stupid."

"Bastard."

"Retard."

"Faggot."

"Time's up!" Iruka announced. "Now, let's start with... you, Naruto. Stand up. So, what did you learn about Mr Uchiha?"

"Well, for starters—"

Sasuke looked out the window, ignoring all around him. Another little 'specialty' of his. He wondered...

_Where'd you come back from this time, Itachi? And was it really so bad that you had to throw goddamned butcher knives at your only surviving blood relative?_

- - - - -

Since Sasuke and Naruto's initial meeting of each other, Sasuke was beginning to dread lunch. He had figured it all out—Sakura and Naruto had practically told him anyway.

Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto expected to eat lunch together. By the tree. His tree. Sasuke's tree. Sakura and Hinata would still be eating their lunches in the school cafeteria if it hadn't been for Sasuke and one hell-of-a-long-and-annoying project in their freshman year that had forced them to collaborate forces and develop a... _friendship_, if you wanted to call it that.

So, Sasuke decided to skip the cafeteria (he wasn't in the mood for food, since that reminded him of butcher knives, and butcher knives...) and just went over to the old tree out in the school's front yard.

It was the perfect tree, great climbable branches, with those two or three low ones that helped you get higher or offered a nice place to sit, and Sasuke felt a bit of pity for it. To be so perfect, and yet become marred because you were stuck in some school's butt-ugly front lawn. Hell, to be planted on school grounds at all. Sasuke hated being there, and he wasn't even stuck there for as long as he lived! ... Poor tree, indeed.

Sasuke was sitting on one of those oh-so climbable branches, watching with a slight bit of displeasure as he observed three of his peers tramp across the green grass, stopping to sit underneath the tree's protective limbs adorned with healthy leaves. The blond-haired Naruto, pink-haired Sakura, and black-haired Hinata. Each had a distinctly unique personality—none of them in this new group of four had the same traits.

All of them were like opposites.

_Opposites attract_... Indeed. Four of them, nearly all polar opposites.

North. East. South. West.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called up from below, opening a cold soda can that was dripping with condensation. "What're you doing way up there? Didn't you eat anything for lunch?"

"Sitting, and no." Sasuke replied shortly, looking at the three other students underneath his perch.

"Lunch is an important meal," the pink-haired girl told apparently no one in particular, "but breakfast is the most important of them all. Did you guys eat breakfast?"

"I did," spoke Hinata in her customly soft voice. "I had french toast..."

"I did!" Naruto said, shoveling a handful of chips into his mouth. "Cereal, and regular toast. And orange juice. Maybe a poptart, but I can't remember."

"Well, Naruto," remarked Sakura, "you certainly seemed to have had a nice breakfast. What about you, Sasuke?"

"Skipped it," the dark-haired Uchiha said in monotone. He knew that in three... two... one...

"_Sasuke_—how many times do I have to tell you! Breakfast is the _most important meal of the day_, and that's saying something! Do you think they called it the 'most important meal' for no reason?"

"I suppose not," mumbled Sasuke, raising his gaze to look through the green leaves of the tree, at the blue sky.

"Sasuke, you're going to die early. And then I'll be sad, because died you early—unnaturally-like. Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you didn't eat anything; of starvation! When you die, you'll practically be a skeleton! All because you didn't eat the food in front of you, or the food that was easily attainable. What about the people in China?" Sakura demanded, taking a bite of her turkey sandwich and chewing furiously, waiting for the reply.

"It's not like the food's gonna do them any good in my stomach."

"Well, yes, but there's always the... Er..."

Sakura opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and paused. _Damn_, she sighed mentally, _I haven't worked out a comeback for that one, just yet..._ And, so she didn't look stupid, she took another bite of her sandwich, washing that down with a gulp of soda.

"You just got told," the blond-haired teen sitting beside her and Hinata told Sakura, giving Sasuke one quick, unnoticeable glance of admiration.

"Naruto," Sakura replied, "shut up."

"That's no way to treat the new kid!" Naruto all but squawked indignantly.

"Yeah, well, get over it. Things aren't always nice." Sakura looked up from her food to eye the blond, and gave a half-smirk at his put-out expression. "I was only kidding, Naruto."

As realization shined it's heavenly glow upon his head, Naruto scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head to the side a bit. "Oh... Well, I totally knew that, Sakura."

"Of course you did," the pink-haired teen huffed, closing her eyes irritably when she heard Hinata's politely muffled laughter at their antics. "Anyway. It's time to go back in for school."

"How many classes are left," asked Naruto.

"Three," sighed Sakura. She pulled her schedule out from the back pocket of her pants. "Hey, guys, who's your last teacher?"

Hinata bit the inside of her lip, trying to remember, before she nodded, "Oh, right, I have... Kakashi next... Didn't we—?"

Sakura nodded, cutting her off. The two girls looked expectantly at Naruto. The blond pulled a well-looked at and folded piece of paper out of his own pocket. Unfolding it, he ran his eyes until he found the name of his last teacher of the day. "Some guy named Kakashi, same as you, Hinata. Who've got you, Sakura?"

"Ditto to you." Sakura looked up at Sasuke, who was gazing out across the green lawn, looking slightly agitated.

"Who's your last teacher, Sasuke?"

"Don't even ask, I'm sure you already know." Sasuke muttered.

"I see... four years in a row is pretty... non-coincidental."

"He keeps moving up," Hinata added.

"And he's _always_ our last teacher, and we're _always_ in his class together, and he's been moving up with us since our freshmen year." Sasuke was fuming on the inside, but on the outside he managed to look reasonably ticked off. "This is insane. Fucking asshole."

"Well... it is a bit suspicious... but you don't have to go and call people names—" Sakura was promptly cut off.

"This'll make four years in a row."

"Yes, I know that, but—"

"Four years. Of him. _Him_."

"He is a bit... strange, I suppose, but that—"

"Strange doesn't begin to cover it."

"Maybe not. At least after this year—"

"What, we won't have him anymore? He'll probably follow us to the damn university! And at least he's not an old _family friend_ of yours!"

Sakura sighed, "Okay, Sasuke, we get it. You're tired of him."

"Sick of him."

"Okay, you're sick of him. But at least it's him and not Orochimaru again... right?"

"I... guess."

"See, it's not so bad."

Sasuke snorted, and jumped down from the tree's branches. "It's time for the next class," he muttered.

"What was that all about?" A bewildered Naruto asked, looking confused, and standing up.

"Oh, we've just had this Kakashi guy since our freshman year. Guess he likes us," shrugged Sakura.

"You said he was strange...?"

"He's a little out-there," Hinata offered. "I like him, though..."

"I do to... on good days." Sakura nodded, "Sasuke says he doesn't, but you can tell that it's his favorite class. The Kakashis and Uchihas have a historical 'family friendship'. After the 'Unsolved Tragedy' it was Kakashi who looked after Sasuke while Itachi handled all the inquiries and the like."

"Who's Itachi?" By now they were walking towards the school. When they entered, they threw their trash away.

"Sasuke's older brother," Sakura paused slightly, "but they don't get along, at all."

"Oh... and the 'Unsolved Tragedy,' what was that?"

"You'll find out," Sakura said, waving it off. "It was years ago... but... Oh! Here's my locker... I don't think I have my next class with any of you, so I'll see you later in Kakashi's, okay?"

The other two nodded.

- - - - -

Meanwhile, Sasuke had gone to his locker and located his own next class.

He looked at the nameplate beside the door.

He blinked.

Right there and then, he smacked himself on the forehead with his books.

His next teacher?

Orochimaru.

And he was the only one out of that group of four with him. Suddenly, Sasuke wanted to be in Kakashi's class. At least Kakashi wasn't a gay pedophile.

- - - - -

There's that. Bit of a long prologue, wasn't it? Nearly ten pages. Well... I expect all the chapters will be about this length; possibly longer. It depends on how far into my 'writing stride' I am when I start the next chapter.

Like I stated before in my other story, I'll be updating **monthly**. I just don't have the time to do it otherwise. At least you know you'll end up with a nice, long chapter though, right? Unless something serious happens, anyway. Looking forward to seeing you next time!

Oh, and please review! It means so much... you honestly have no idea. Reviews are like an ego boost that helps to produce good-quality upcoming chapters. Hint, hint?


	2. of Snakes, Porn Readers, and Murder

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Obviously. Didn't we cover this in the first chapter?

_Well_, I suppose I should have learned my lesson by now. Promising things that never actually happen. Last chapter I believe I said that I'd be updating monthly... as you can see, a month has most certainly _not_ passed. Ah, I just wanted to get this up. Anywho. A big **THANK YOU** goes especially to my** four** reviewers (I hope I replied to you all!), and also the **five** that put me on their favorites list, and the **two** that added me to author alert. 181 hits, eh? That's lovely.

Well, onto the next chapter!

**(Story contains: shounen-ai, blood, violence, cursing/cussing, angst, etc.)**

- - - - -

**DEMOROR**

_Chapter One — of Snakes, Porn-Readers, and Murder_

- - - - -

Where in Iruka's class Sasuke had been in the back with alphabetical order, in Orochimaru's class he had been in the front, with alphabetical order. Sometimes he really hated having a last name that started with a U and thought it would be nice to have a last name that started with an H, or maybe an L...

But, alas, he was Sasuke Uchiha, and Sasuke Uchiha he was to stay.

And while both Orochimaru and Iruka had at least some form of organization in their class, Kakashi's was chaotic. Sasuke wasn't sure why he had been mildly surprised upon entering the silver-haired teacher's classroom — that _was_ quiet typical, and he probably should have been expecting it.

The desks didn't seem to have any arrangement, and the students that had Kakashi this period now just stood around lazily, talking with friends or sulking in corners. It was common knowledge, since Kakashi had been with this group of students for four years, that he was always late. There was no use in sitting quietly for someone who was almost always five minutes behind schedule.

So, since there was no sign of Sakura, Hinata, or that Naruto kid, he reflected on his time spent in Orochimaru's... which wasn't really that much. It was, more or less, tomorrow he was dreading in _that_ class.

- - - - -

Sasuke had entered Orochimaru's room rubbing his forehead. He had to admit that maybe smacking himself with his books wasn't the smartest of things to do, especially since this wasn't a dream.

It couldn't have been, anyway. Only in nightmares would he ever be in Orochimaru's class—yes, he hated it that much. It didn't help that the snake (which is how Sasuke had begun to think of Orochimaru during the previous year of highschool) seemed to favor Sasuke. The other students, who normally might have hated the 'teacher's pet' of the class, were rather relieved that Sasuke was the favorite.

Orochimaru (unlike _some_ teachers Sasuke had) arrived in the room promptly—mere seconds before the bell rang. As he took his seat behind his large, wooden desk, he surveyed the room. He gaving a frosty smile.

"It seems everyone is here today," he spoke. "Wonderful..."

The students were silent, watching the man with the strange eyes, the strange face. Some had been in Orochimaru's class the previous year, others had not. Still, no one knew what to expect. He was simply unpredictable. Orochimaru's appearance didn't help much anyway. Extremely pale almost grey-tinged skin, with long, heavily contrasting dark hair, and narrow, angled eyes that had earned him the nickname Snake in the first place.

Sasuke had known immediately last year that he had not wanted to be in this man's class. He knew he didn't want to stand _another_ year of it. But at least last year people he had been remotely friendly with had Orochimaru's class with him. This year he was alone. Scanning the room, he sighed mentally. Alone unless you counted Gaara, with whom Sasuke was barely even _acquaintances_ with.

So, he raised his hand as Orochimaru looked around his room. Upon seeing the Uchiha's hand, the snake-like teacher rested his cool gaze on the dark-haired teen.

"Yes," he said. "What do you want?"

He didn't say it unkindly, but rather _smoothly_; Sasuke would have preferred the cold indifference Orochimaru would have spoken with if someone other than Sasuke himself had dared to raise their hand.

Sasuke looked Orochimaru right back in the eye. The rest of the class shivered for him, as Sasuke himself refused to show discomfort. "I feel sick," he lied. "I need to go to the nurse's office."

"_May I_ go to the nurse's office, Sasuke Uchiha." Orochimaru looked at him evenly before giving a small frown of displeasure. "Yes... but this won't happen again tomorrow. It's bad for your grades to miss a lot of class."

"Yes, sir." Sasuke gathered his things and left the room, feeling the stares of his peers on his back, including Gaara's.

_Like he gives a damn about my grades_, the Uchiha thought as he closed the room's door quietly. _All he cares about is scaring the hell out of everyone._

And so, Sasuke had gone to the school's main office. Second time that day. He announced his arrival this second time by letting the door slam closed of it's own accord. It had always been like that, loud and heavy. Sometimes, when he was having a particularly bad day, Sasuke used that to his advantage. Like today, for example.

"Hello," the lady at the front desk said. "How may I help you—oh. Back so soon, Mr. Uchiha?"

"What does it look like?" He gave her a glare. "I want to switch classes."

"Switch which class with what?" She asked, bringing up Sasuke's schedule on her computer screen, pointedly ignoring the glare.

"Orochimaru with anything else."

"Orochimaru... ah, second year in a row with him. I also noticed you have been fortunate to have Kakashi again—"

"_Fortunate enough_?" Sasuke all but growled. "This is goddamned misfortune. Change my schedule."

The lady laughed at Sasuke's disgruntled behavior and checked her screen briefly before shaking her head. "No can do, Uchiha. All the other classes are full... in fact, it's Orochimaru's class that has extra room... I guess everyone switched _before the new school year started_, like you're supposed to do."

"Damn it," muttered Sasuke.

"Tsk... you might want to watch your language in a public school, especially in the office."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned on heel, exiting the office just as loudly as he had entered it.

"Have a nice day! I'll be looking forward to our next meeting!" The lady called after him, a playful smile on her lips. She liked to tease and mess with the Uchiha, his lack of patience amused her.

Then, the phone rang.

Sighing, she answered it.

- - - - -

Sasuke had then spent the rest of Orochimaru's period on the school's roof. It was nicer up there than in the school, but it ended all too soon. Walking down the stairs, back into the hallway that students were beginning to fill, and heading to his next class, Sasuke wondered if maybe he should drop out of school and move away.

Far, far away. No more school. No more Orochimaru. No more Kakashi. No more Itachi.

_Oh yeah, and do what?_ He asked himself, _Flip burgers at some cheap fast-food restaurant? Doesn't that sound like a lovely life—free fatty, disgusting food anytime you want it._

And now we're where the chapter opened, with Sasuke sitting in Kakashi's hectic classroom, waiting for that annoying, silver-haired idiot to arrive. Now, however, Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata had joined him, sitting in the desks around him, talking to a few other people.

Sasuke blinked, as if coming out of a daydream, and looked at the new comers. Besides the mentioned three, now they were talking to Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji.

Sasuke sighed, a class full of these idiots. It would no doubt be an interesting year. A loud, annoying, creepy year, keeping all of his classes in mind.

"Sasuke," Sakura said, taking notice of his aware-state. "Glad to see you join us. Have a nice daydream?"

"Hardly," muttered the dark-haired teen. "Reminiscing."

"Oh, really? On what, Sasuke?" Ino asked, eager to have the Uchiha pay attention to her rather than Sakura.

Once upon a time, Sakura and Ino had constantly been fighting over Sasuke's attention... Sasuke wasn't sure when exactly they had started to simmer down, but they definitely had. It was a relief, to be sure. However, before he could utter a one-or-two-word response, the door was harshly opened, than then slammed shut.

"I have arrived," announced none other than the lazy-eyed Kakashi himself. His silver hair was still falling over his left eye, which was still covered by the identification band underneath that. As was usual, Kakashi had on something that covered his mouth. Today, it was a turtle neck. The guy really was an idiot. Who wears a turtle neck in summer?

The class seemed to collectively roll their eyes.

"Well," Kakashi started, "I suppose we'd better get this class into shape. First! Fix the desks, why are they all over the place like this? Then, just sit somewhere. I'll worry about the 'arrangement' later. Now, yesterday..."

"You didn't even show up yesterday," Sakura prompted him.

"Really?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "So it seems... well, today... Fix the desks first. Class second."

Sasuke held back a snort as he overheard Naruto telling Shikamaru that he was looking forward to this class.

Ah, well... it wasn't a bad class, if you didn't want to learn anything. Kakashi taught english/literature/language arts, and he did always have that book in his hand...

It was a pity, though, that their favorite teacher was a procrastinating, lazy, avid porn-reader.

- - - - -

Eventually, thankfully, the day ended, and they left the prison called school.

Sasuke was at home, actually doing his homework when the doorbell rang.

He sighed and set down his pencil. Who the hell would want to talk to him? It's not like Itachi was actually home—when was he ever home for more than twenty-four hours at a time? So, expecting some idiot from school or one of Itachi's freak-of-nature friends, Sasuke was a bit surprised upon opening the door and finding a policeman outside.

"Are you Sasuke Uchiha?" The cop asked. He was a relatively young man, with short-cut brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Yes... who wants to know?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the gun at the policeman's hip.

"Konoha Police. You're under arrest as a suspect."

"Suspect of what!" Sasuke demanded, as he was yanked out of his house roughly by a strong, tan hand. The policeman closed the door of the Uchiha's house, and dragged Sasuke down the stairs of his front porch and the walkway towards the police car.

"Murder."

"What murder!" Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. What murder was this guy talking about? He'd never actually _killed_ someone before—unless you counted that squirrel when he was learning how to drive as a someone, or all those many, many bugs as someones. But if Konoha had started to arrest people for everyday things like that, the town and it's citizens were screwed. (Though he really hadn't meant to kill that squirrel, honestly! It just ran out in front of him, for no reason at all! It was completely unavoidable.)

"You are a suspect of the murder of your family."

The policeman had to physically sit Sasuke down in the backseat of his car, as the Uchiha had gone numb. His nose twitched briefly before he leaned forward, folding his arms on his knees and resting his head upon them.

_Murder of my family... Murder of my family. But I thought..._

Sasuke had suddenly been dragged back into a world that he thought he'd never have to see again. He couldn't decide if it was karma, or just plain bad luck.

And what about Itachi?

- - - - -

Naruto, living close to Sakura, walked home with the pink-haired girl. Hinata had walked a little way with them, but had turned to go towards her own house early on—it was really a small village-like place that all the Hyuuga's lived in. What can I say? Hinata's family was rich.

"Where's that Sasuke guy live?" Naruto asked as Hinata had left them. They were alone on the sidewalk, and it was quiet out. Not an awkward quiet, but more like a gentle silence. A slight wind made the trees shift slightly, but other than that and the two teenagers walking home, they could see nothing else moving and about.

"Sasuke? Oh, he lives around here too, but you'll have to keep walking, even past my house. They have a lot of land, and a really nice, traditional-styled house... with some modern enhancements, of course."

"So basically they're rich, like Hinata's family?"

"Very much so. The Uchiha's used to be a huge part of Konoha's economy. Not just Sasuke's parents, but all the Uchihas before them, too. They helped to set up the Leaf Country's justice system, courts, and police stations. They were especially helpful in Konoha... we probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Uchiha's early influence. All in all, yes, _lots_ of money in the bank for Sasuke. And his brother, of course. But along with that comes a bit of fame. Everyone knows the Uchihas. Even if there are only two left, Sasuke and Itachi."

"Itachi would be his brother, right? You mentioned earlier that Sasuke and his brother didn't get along well..."

Sakura bit her lip, and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "They don't. If you go into their house while their both home, it's like you're intruding on a war or something."

"What about their parents?" Naruto asked. He himself had never known his parents... maybe a faded smiling face in his memories, but that had ended up being replaced by Iruka's after a while. Not that Naruto minded, but he always wondered who his biological parents had been and what they were like.

"They died a while ago," sighed Sakura. "I'm probably not supposed to be the one to tell you this, so I'll leave the details out. But... because they died, Kakashi's been watching Itachi and Sasuke, making sure they don't, y'know, do something drastic to each other. Like beating each other up or..." here she paused. "Or... this is only an assumption, but you noticed those bandages Sasuke had on, right? I don't think he got them on accident... I think it had something to do with his brother."

"You're saying that his brother tried to kill him or something?" Naruto raised his brow. He'd always wondered what having a sibling would be like... but it seemed like if he wanted to ask someone about it, Sasuke would not be the person to go to.

"No! Well, I don't think so... you'll just have to hang around with them both to understand. And you'll have to know their past. The Uchiha's were a huge influence in Konoha, and to suddenly have all but two of them die... it was a shock not just to Sasuke and Itachi, but to everyone else as well."

They had walked on in silence, bookbags growing heavier with each passing step. Finally, Naruto and Iruka's small house came into view, and the two departed.

The house was empty, as Iruka had not come home yet. So, deciding that homework can always wait until later, Naruto chose to cook some ramen as an afternoon snack.

- - - - -

Unlike Naruto, Sakura had been doing her homework like only a good student would, right after she arrived home. Sitting at the wooden dining room table, she worked on her calculus. When the phone of her house rang, she ignored it and went on working.

Her mother poked her head into the room Sakura was in, and held the portable phone in her hand. "Sakura," she said, "it's for you."

"Who?" Sakura mouthed, setting down her pencil, and walking towards her mother, who shrugged her shoulders.

After Sakura took the phone, she went back to doing the laundry.

"Hello, this is Sakura speaking," the pink-haired teen spoke into the receiver.

"Ah, Sakura, this is Kakashi." The voice on the other end responded.

"Kakashi!" Sakura spluttered, "Ah... hi, er... what, I mean... why are you calling me?"

"Sakura," Kakashi's normally laid-back voice sounded serious and strained. "It's Sasuke... he's being held under arrest at the police station."

"Under arrest... You mean, in prison and everything?" Sakura asked incredulously. _Sasuke in jail? You've got to be kidding me!_ "This isn't some stupid joke, is it? Because it's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny, Sakura. This is _not_ a joke."

"Why would anyone want to put _Sasuke_ in _jail_? What has he done? Oh my god... he didn't kill Itachi, did—"

"No, Itachi's supposedly fine."

"Supposedly?"

Kakashi seemed exasperated, and spoke a bit slower into the phone at his end. "Supposedly. We don't know where he is."

"What do you mean 'we?'" Sakura asked, not exactly suspicious, but wondering why Kakashi had referred to himself as being with a group of people instead of saying 'they.' She was a smart girl, and anyone who thought otherwise was daft. Maybe she was just being stupid, but for some reason she believed that Kakashi Hatake might be hiding something from her... and Sasuke too, of course. "And how can you not know where he is? It's _Itachi_."

"We're not talking about Itachi, though. We're talking about Sasuke, who's in jail."

"Fine," muttered Sakura. "Why's Sasuke in jail, Mr. Hatake?"

"Somehow the case of the Uchiha Murder was reopened... and they've got Sasuke in as a suspect. Don't call me Mr. Hatake."

"A suspect..." Sakura felt her stomach drop. "How could he be a... a suspect? He was only... only a kid when..."

"That doesn't matter, they've had cases like this elsewhere."

Sakura leaned against the wall, one hand holding the phone to her ear, the other brought up to rest on her chest. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you get to the station?" Kakashi asked.

"Y-yes... I'm sure my mom can take me, this is sort of an emergency." Sakura said, while nodding to herself at the same time.

"Good. Go, and find Sasuke. If they don't let you in, say Kakashi sent you. Also; don't mention anything related to _why_ he's locked up. I can assume he's remembering a lot of things he didn't want to remember."

"Right," again Sakura nodded. "Okay. But what do I _do_?"

"What you always do, even if it annoys him. Talk."

"Annoys him!"

"Sakura."

"I'm going, you lazy—"

Kakashi had already hung up. Sakura sighed, deciding that this was not the time to fume because of a _teacher_... even if he didn't act like one, or feel like one. She went to find her mother. She idly wondered if Kakashi was trying to tell her that Sasuke needed someone at the moment. A friend.

_Sasuke never needs anyone_, she argued.

But everyone needs someone, sometimes. You can't go through life all by yourself. Wether to console, have companionship, to talk, or just to borrow money, friends and people you know are always needed.

_Sasuke just doesn't like expressing himself_, she decided.

Or; maybe he just didn't know that you can't go everything alone? Who'd ever been there for him before? She brushed the thoughts from her mind.

- - - - -

I'm not sure if something like this has been done before, I didn't have the want to find out, so I'm not entirely sure I expect this to be a shock or anything. Actually, this story might be very predictable, but that's why I intend to add some plot twists. Well, anyway...

Have a heart and please review? If you're reading _this_, you must have read the story. Feedback is loved. Thank you in advance!


	3. of Prison, Kakashi, and Skipping School

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Honestly, you people...

Here's this! Sorry for the over-a-month-long wait... exams and whatnot, you know? Maybe not... Well, thank you for reviewing, favorite-ing, or adding me to your author alert, if you made such an action! It's motivational, I suppose.

Please note that I know next to nothing about the justice system, so please bare with any of this if it's incorrect. It's my story, and if things in here don't go the way I've written them... it's just not the same.

Without further ago—the next chapter!

**(Story contains: shounen-ai, blood, violence, cussing/cursing, angst, etc.)**

- - - - -

**DEMOROR**

_Chapter Two — of Prison, Kakashi, and the Skipping of School_

- - - - -

While one of his classmate's world was being turned upside down, the other's filled with worry and sitting in an uncomfortable police station with the aforementioned classmate, and another's doing homework diligently and obediently, Naruto himself was watching the television. An empty cup of instant ramen was settled precariously on the arm of the couch facing the TV that seemed to have nothing interesting to watch on at the moment. Of course, all the good shows never came on until night, anyway. And Iruka still wasn't home.

All these things going on, without him...

If anyone were to know what it was like to be blissfully ignorant of the things affecting the others around him, Naruto would be it. He never seemed to be on the spot when tragedy or hardship struck, and he didn't want to complain... but maybe if he had been there when his parents had died in the hospital, after the wreck, even though he was too young to even talk anything other than baby gibberish, he'd have better, more vivid memories of them? Maybe if he'd been present when that little puppy he'd built a short-lived companionship with got unjustly shot, it would still be alive... and Naruto would still have his first friend?

And maybe if he'd known Sasuke better and longer, the Uchiha could have something to smirk at with superiority instead of sitting in silence with Sakura? Not that Naruto knew this was going on. Always seemed to be out of the loop, didn't he? Maybe times were about to change...

But there are many 'maybes' that can't fix, help, or change a thing; it's quite useless to think about them. They always just make us realize the mistakes we've made in the past, and how they affect our future. Of course, one mustn't forget that the future is always so unpredictable. This was one thing that Naruto knew very, very well.

- - - - -

And so, in the dark cell they sat; Sasuke and Sakura. Nothing had even been spoken since Sakura's mother had driven away to run some errands saying she'd be back soon, and Sakura had entered the station. The main part of the station wasn't cold, dingy, or eerily dark as is sometimes portrayed. Instead, it was adjustably warm, clean, and small. They hadn't even bothered to put Sasuke into the 'main' station and just dumped him into the smaller of Konoha's two police stations. Well... maybe that was a good sign.

She had walked up to a random guy-in-blue, hands behind her back, clammy and cold, despite the fact that the station was warm and she was wearing a hoody.

"Hey! Um... Who should I talk to about seeing someone being held here?" She asked the guy, looking into his dark eyes uncertainly.

"You can just ask me," his voice was gruff. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the prison to look for someone? We're only the minor station, and we only hold people for overnight purposes."

"No, I'm sure I'm supposed to be looking here," Sakura said. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Uchiha, eh? What's your business with him?" The policeman was looking at her, suspiciously. Sakura supposed you couldn't really trust people that just walk up to you... especially if you're a cop, right? A tricky, cautious life, that of a cop.

"I... I'm a friend of his, from school."

"Ah. I'm sorry, but I don't think that we can allow you to—"

"Wait," Sakura interjected anxiously. "Wait! He told me to tell you this if you wouldn't let me see Sasuke, 'cause he's the one who sent me here in the first place..."

"Kakashi sent you, didn't he? Well... then I guess you're allowed. C'mon back, this way to see Mr. Uchiha."

Sakura followed the cop down a hall and through a beige colored metal door. They entered a room with unpainted cinderblock walls; this section definitely had a more gloomy atmosphere, but it was still warm. There were only two cells, each with two walls of metal bars, two walls of cinderblock; one of the walls was the set of bars separating the two cells. Sakura bit nervously on the inside of her cheek as she spotted Sasuke sitting on a cheap, lumpy bed in the left cell, back resting against the hard, solid wall so that he was looking through the bars separating his cell from the other, towards the opposite grey wall. He looked at his two guests out of the corner of his eye, hearing the door close heavily.

The policeman hooked his thumbs in his pockets, wearing a half-frown on his lips, and looked at Sasuke. "You know this girl?"

"Sakura," the Uchiha answered, never having been one for a lot of words.

"Okay, well... she'll sit outside your cell. You can drag that chair over to it. You, Uchiha, will stay in your cell for security purposes. Drag the bed over if you want to be sitting... comfortably face to face."

"You honestly think that Sasuke... would hurt me?" Sakura asked, slightly aghast at the thought and insinuation and slightly incredulous. This was Sasuke they were talking about! What'd they think he'd do? Rape her? Kill her with the bed? Beat her senseless? _This situation is so screwed up,_ she thought. _Sasuke's not like that. What evidence do they have that he's killed anyone, in the first place?_

"He's in here for a reason," the cop said. "It's a precaution. If you don't like it, don't come complaining to me. We're just a minor branch-off of the main station. By all rights, he should be held up there, given the nature of this case."

"What! Wait, you think Sasuke actually... actually did... _that_? Based on what evidence!" Sakura was beginning to think she didn't like this cop, even though she had initially thought he sounded like a pretty nice guy... How could someone be so accusatory, without even knowing Sasuke in the first place? It wasn't fair, at all!

"That's not information that's randomly disclosed to the public. Why don't you ask Mr. Uchiha himself? I'll be up front, leave when you want." With that he shuffled out of the room, closing the door loudly behind him, muttering something about 'kids these days.'

And now we're where we began. Sakura looking at the floor uncertainly, trying to ignore the buzzing of the flourescent lights above them. Sasuke continued to stare at the wall, refusing to look at her. She reached out to grab one of the bars... it was surprisingly cold, compared to the temperature of the room. Suddenly, as if the bar transferred all it's coolness to her, Sakura felt her body shiver slightly, and she tried to force back the sudden tears, gathering in her eyes. She couldn't cry in front of Sasuke, and definitely not in this pathetic excuse of a police station. She refused to.

She couldn't stand the silence, so she gripped the bar harder and broke it—the silence—stumbling over her words, unsure of what to say, and wondering if what she was saying was the right thing to say in the first place. Kakashi had told her to talk, hadn't he? But he hadn't told her what to talk about. Dammit. "Sasuke, are... are you okay?"

When the Uchiha turned his black-haired head in her direction, Sakura caught his equally dark, unreadable gaze, and looked down hurriedly. It was hard to look at him straight in the face... She was used to Sasuke having a look of nonchalance, possible superiority... and maybe a hint of amusement, but not this cold, confused, dead look. "What do you think? I'm sitting in prison. For something that I sure as hell _did not do_."

"I figured as much," mumbled Sakura, miserably. "I'm not really sure what to say—"

"Then why are you here?" The question was blunt, and quick. "How did you know where I was?"

Sakura gripped another bar with her other hand, feeling it's coolness and absolutely despising it. "Kakashi. He told me to come."

"Do you do everything Kakashi tells you to do?"

"Well, no, I don't... But he was so urgent. And, Sasuke... Oh, Sasuke, you're sitting in a cell, for God's sake! I couldn't just sit at home, twiddle my thumbs, and think to myself 'Oh, I wonder how Sasuke's doing, all alone in a prison cell. Maybe I should have listened to Kakashi and gone to see him,' could I?"

"It's only overnight."

"But, Sasuke... what if they get evidence? If they've got enough to hold you overnight, then maybe they'll find more to put you into prison, permanently! Do you even know why you're here in the first place?"

"They seem to have learned that I was at the scene of the crime." Sasuke's tone was monotonous, and low. Sakura didn't like it at all.

"How do they figure that?" She challenged, staring steadily at Sasuke's bandaged hand, which was resting on his knee.

"Hell if I know."

"I thought that you couldn't, you know, remember anything about that night."

"I don't. That's the point. I could have done it, they think, and erased it from my mind."

"But you were so young! It's just... I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that. Someone must have told them something. A lie, I'll bet you. I just can't figure who would do something like that," mused Sakura. She noted that Sasuke's bandage wasn't clean. It was dirty, and when he moved his hand a little, she thought she saw blood. Had the cut reopened? Infection might settle in if it had. Her nurse-like thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke spoke, sounding quite sure of himself.

"Itachi."

"Itachi? But, he's your own brother! Surely he wouldn't do something like—"

"Why wouldn't he? You honestly think I accidentally got these cuts?"

"You said—"

"Do you believe everything anyone tells you?" Sasuke asked, voice raised, standing up and walking towards her, grasping the bars and staring hard at her shocked face. "I lied to you, okay? I didn't cut myself on accident, Itachi threw _butcher knives_ at me. Five of them! Two hit, as you can see. You idiots think that, yeah, sure, that asshole and I have our differences, right? Bullshit. You don't know anything! My life at home is like fucking World War III, every time he enters the damn house.

"'Itachi wouldn't do that' is a load of crap. You don't know _anything_, so don't think that you do. Hell, I don't even know everything about the situation, and now, suddenly, I'm a key character—even though I didn't want to be. For all I know, that bastard's out there telling some important macho government official that I murdered my parents with my own hands!"

A long silence ensued. What to say? What to do?

"I..." Sakura was at an utter loss for words. How could one comment to that, on time, with a good response? "I... I didn't know. You never told me, anyone... I never realized that there was a mask," the tears in her eyes spilled over, and she blinked hard, looking sideways at the floor; anywhere but at Sasuke. "Someone must know where Itachi is... everyone knows him..."

"No one ever knows where he is. He disappears for days, and no one knows where he's gone. They never cared, either. Do you honestly think they suddenly know where he is, or even care, now?"

"They should... what if he was at the scene, too? They don't know that he wasn't. Shouldn't he be in here too?"

"Yes... But he's not. He won't be."

"And why not? How can they arrest you, when they can't or won't arrest him?"

"Because he's Itachi," muttered Sasuke, as if that simply answered everything.

"So because your brother has power and influence in the government, they won't arrest him?" Sakura asked, releasing her hold on the cool bars and folding her hands in her lap.

"It's bad publicity, isn't it? Petty governments can't make themselves look bad—oh, no."

"What the _hell_—that shouldn't even matter!"

"It seems our government isn't as smoothly run as we assumed, is it?" Sasuke murmured. "It's flawed, whether they realize it or not."

The policeman poked his head in through the door. "Have a nice chat?" He asked, not exactly friendly, but not coldly, either. "Well, sorry that it had to be interrupted. You—" he looked at Sakura "—your mother's here to pick you up, out front. Oh, and, Uchiha? I've got orders that we're to release you in the morning. Don't get too happy, you might have to come back in... But for now you're a free man, being held overnight."

Sakura stood up and clenched her fists. Sasuke was still holding onto the bars, watching her face closely. "This isn't right," the pink-haired girl said softly so only he could hear it. "We'll figure this out."

Sasuke gave her back a hard stare, before it disappeared behind the heavy door. "Of course," he muttered, sarcastically. "Easy for the optimist to say. At least the pessimist's thoughts run closer along the lines of reality."

Turning his own back, Sasuke walked over to and fell on the uncomfortable, lumpy bed that would have to do for the night. Like he had much choice in the matter, anyway. He fell into an unsteady, dreamless sleep.

- - - - -

As was usual, as soon as the alarm went off, Sakura slammed her hand on it and groggily got out of bed. She stumbled down the hall towards the bathroom, locked the door, and took a shower that helped to bring her back to full consciousness. She was vigorously scrubbing her head with shampoo when she remembered—Sasuke! Any positive thoughts that had been running through her mind were instantly replaced with worry. He was supposed to be released this morning. What time? Would he be at school? Should she call his house—maybe he was already there? Who, what, when, where, how...?

She got out of the shower in due time, dried her hair, wrapped herself up in a towel, and headed towards her room. She rummaged through the drawers of her dresser, and pushed clothes aside in her closet. What to wear today? No, wait, that wasn't important at the moment! What about Sasuke? But it's always important to look good, right?

She decided to tug on a pair of blue jeans, threw on a green shirt with a decorated white camisole underneath that. She hurriedly pulled on socks, and slipped her feet into her dark-brown leather clogs. After running a comb through her hair, and going down the stairs she pulled the pink locks up into a messy bun, elastic band holding it in place. Finally downstairs, she slung her already packed bookbag over her shoulder, took the piece of toast her mother offered her, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and ran out of the house with a swift "Bye!"

Sakura wasn't expecting anything when she got outside, much less Kakashi's car, complete with Kakashi inside of it, sitting outside her house, engine running... but, well, there he was. She hesitantly walked across her lawn to the silver-haired teacher and when he rolled down the window bluntly asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

Kakashi regarded her with an innocent stare. "Whatever do you mean? And don't use profanity around the people controlling your future—ah, I mean grades."

Sakura rolled her eyes, and snorted. "Don't play around today, Kakashi. What are you doing here? How'd you even know where I live?"

"Questions, questions... all so pointless, with obvious answers," said Kakashi, in a mildly sing-song voice. "Why don't you get in and I'll explain?"

"I grew up being taught not to get into a car with a stranger."

"What... you consider me a stranger? After these long, past three years? Just get in the car, unless you want to _walk_ to the police station."

"Police station... is something wrong with Sasuke?"

"Of course not. He's a stubborn mule. I need you to give him his clothes and then walk him to school, to make sure he doesn't skip or do anything... _stupid_."

"The school's thirty damn minutes away from the minor station!" Sakura practically yelled. Nevertheless, she got into the passenger seat of Kakashi's car, taking note of Sasuke's change of clean clothes and school stuff in the backseat. "You expect us to walk there and arrive on time? Hell, school starts in nearly thirty minutes anyway! Why do we have to _walk_?"

"Because I am a teacher," said her silver-haired companion. "I'm supposed to be on time. I'm a role model, you know. I've heard some students say they look up to me."

"Imagine that," muttered Sakura. "I don't see anything to admire. And it's not like you've ever let the whole 'teachers should arrive to school at least ten minutes earlier than the students' rule get in your way before."

"There's always time for change with the new day." Sakura rolled her eyes at her teacher, and kept silent the rest of the ride, looking out the window and reminiscing on all the times she'd spent with Sasuke and Hinata before. Nothing like this had ever happened to them. And what about Naruto? How would he fit into all of this? He had only known them for two days... but Sakura had a feeling he'd be with them for the rest of these unfair, insane weeks. The recently reopened case wouldn't be closed so soon... not without any answers, and a new suspect within their grasp. Even if the suspect was innocent—Sasuke would _never_ killed his parents. Ever.

- - - - -

After Kakashi pulled away blowing Sakura "kisses" and Sasuke had begrudgingly pulled on the clothes Sakura handed him ("School? After this? I _hate_ Kakashi. If he thinks that I'm actually going to go, he's kidding himself." "Sasuke! You have to go to school... it's school!" "I'm over sixteen, I do not. Go away so I can change." "Ch-change...? Oh! Oh, right! Sorry, I'm going!") the two found themselves wandering aimlessly around town.

"Oh, they're going to call my mom, aren't they? I'm going to get into so much trouble!" The pink-haired girl was jabbering anxiously, just like she had been all morning long.

"The school doesn't call home if you're absent." Sasuke had replied many times, trying very hard to ignore the incessant chatter beside him.

"Oh, maybe not them, but—Kakashi! Kakashi will. He's just like that... he would do it for _fun_!"

"Get over it," Sasuke huffed. "I've got more important things to deal with than your... your pointless worrying."

Sakura has lapsed into a forced silence, following behind Sasuke's steps until it was time for lunch. Well, Sasuke _said_ it was time for lunch. They were eating burgers and fries, and sucking down their ice-cold sodas at an outdoor restaurant when something familiarly yellow caught Sakura's eye...

"Naruto!"

Sasuke looked around, willing with all his might that Sakura was just exclaiming something random. There was no way they could run into that blonde nuisance here. Wasn't he supposed to be in school? _Are _you_ supposed to be in school?_

"Sakura...?"

There was that voice... where was it's owner?

_Great_, Sasuke thought as he spotted the blonde-haired blue-eyed loud-mouthed pain-in-the-ass, making his way toward their table. Even if he'd only known the guy for less than a day... _Just fantastic. I actually go and cut school, and that idiot decides to cut too. Luck and karma... what do they have against me?_

"Naruto!" Sakura sighed, giving the blonde a small smile. "What're you doing here? What about school?"

"Skipped it... Iruka'll probably chew me out tonight, but I can live with that. What about you... two? I got the idea that you both were the studious 'perfect students' or something."

"Sasuke's hardly the perfect student," snorted Sakura. "But me? Well... I can't really answer about myself—"

"Oh, yeah, right, like you're just _so_ superior," muttered Sasuke. "'_Sasuke I didn't do my homework, can I copy yours? Please?_'"

"That was only once," Sakura said, thrusting her nose in the air, rolling her eyes. "And don't even go there... Wouldn't want to be _hypocritical_, would you?"

"Oh, fear the hypocrisy." Sasuke said, not even bothering with theatrics. "It kills."

"I see you're both feeling cheery this morning," said Naruto, looking around a bit nervously. "Lovers' tiff or somethin'?"

"Lovers'... tiff...?" Sasuke's eye twitched. His mouth frowned.

Sakura's reaction was much different, she laughed out loud, shaking her head. "As if! Sasuke's just being particularly pessimistic and bitchy today. I suppose you didn't sleep well, did you?"

"Fuck off, "the Uchiha said, voice low. "I'd rather not—"

"Oh! Yeah, I heard about that." Naruto was nodding sagely. "I heard about your... er... night in the, uh, slammer."

Sasuke blinked. How could anyone know about that? Oh, wait...

"Kakashi." Sakura rubbed her temples. "No remarks about how much you hate him, Sasuke. I know. We know."

"How'd you guess?" Naruto asked, looking mildly surprised. "Shikamaru told me that he heard Kakashi telling the office secretary that you'd been pulled into overnight custody as a suspect in... well... yeah. You know."

"So basically the whole school knows, because Shikamaru talks to Ino who talks to everyone. I told you it was a good idea to just ditch school today."

Sakura frowned, shaking her head. She took one last sip of her soda, and got up to throw her trash away. "I told you we'd find a way out of it," she told the dark-haired Uchiha. "Don't act so skeptical."

"What are you talking—" Naruto began, but he was cut off as a shadow fell over him.

"Hello, you three. Having a nice day...? Sakura, I haven't seen you in a long time. And, Sasuke, how are those wounds of yours?"

Naruto gaped. "D'you have a twin...?"

Sasuke was livid.

- - - - -

There's that. I'm sorry there was more dialogue and less of everything else. I hope that you could enjoy it all the same.

Reviews are love. Until next time!


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